Automatic-releasing timber-carrying hook.



L. GILCHRIST & GI VAN WINKLE.

AUTOMATIC RELBASING TIMBER CARRYING HOOK.

7 APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1913.

Patented Feb. 23; 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. GILGHRIST &: G. VAN WINKLE.

AUTOMATIC RELEASING TIMBER CARRYING HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY a, 1913.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETSr-SHBET 2.

wuemtoz;

' automatically locking the grappling arms of LIONEL GILCHRIST ANDCALVIN VAN WINKLE, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIG-RELEASING TIMBER-CARRYING- HOOK Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented'Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed m 8, 1913. Serial No. 777,944.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LIONEL GILCHRIST and CALVIN VAN WINKLE, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Anderson, in the county of Madison andState of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic-Releasing Timher-Carrying Hooks; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in reachingorgripping hooks andhas particular reference to that typeof such devicesdesigned especially for the conveying of timber and like material from.one place to another.

As a principal object, this invention aims to provide a gripping hookwhich may be readily attached to the cable of a hoisting crane, andemployed to carry lumber or any other material of an analogous naturefrom one place to another.

A further object is to provide means for the device in inoperativeposition upon the deposit ofthe material in the desired place.

Anobject of equal importance to the forego ing is to provide a simpleand efficient means for holding the grappling arms in operative relationto the materlal to be conveyed.

A yet further object contemplates the provision of a device of thecharacter above set forth constructed'with such regard to proportion andarrangement of parts that it may be cheaply manufactured and will bedurable and efficient in its action and may be employed in hoisting andconveying material or goods of a varied nature.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the followingspecification and then more particularly pointed out in the'claims whichare appended hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein we have illustrated thepreferred embodiment of our invention as it is reduced to.

practice, and throughout the several views of which similar referencenumerals designate corresponding parts: Figure l is a side elevationillustrating the grappling arms in open position- Fig. 2 is a sideelevation illustrating the grappling arms in closed operative position.Fig. 3 is an end view.

. Fig. 4 is a section on'the line 44 of Fig.

2. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5- -5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectionon the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

" Proceeding now to the description of the drawings, the numerals 1 and2, respectively,

designate two pairs of grappling arms, each of which is U-shaped and isformed-of any suitable metal. As stated, the grap ling arms are arrangedin pairs, the arms 0 each pair being opposed to the corresponding armsof the other pair. In Fig. 3 there has been illustrated an end view, inwhich the grappling arms of the pair 2 are designated by the numerals 3and 4. The arms of the pair 1 are similar to the pair 2 in every detailand are connected to the spindle 5 in the same manner, so it istherefore deemed necessary .only to describe the second pair in detail.The grappling arms 3 and 4 are upwardly converging and are held in'desired spaced relation by a pair of barsor rods 6 and 7. The. lowerterminals of the arms 3 and 4 are provided with right angle extensionsas at .8, these extensions being designed to act as hooks in gripping.the material to arms 3 and 4 are provided with somewhat similarextensions as at 9. These extensions are pivoted on pins 10, extendinglaterally from the movable collar 11 and from opposite sides thereof.Cotter pins 12 or other suitable. fastening devices are employed inholding the extensions 9 from displacement from the pins 10. The collarll-is formed of cast iron or any other suitable material and is mountedfor sliding-movement on the spindle 5, being held against completedisplacement therefrom by a set collar 13-Secured by a bolt 14 or othersuitable fastening device to the lower terminal of the spindle. A secondcollar 15 which is similarv in construction to the member 11 is mountedabove the collar 11 for sliding movement on the spindle 5 and isoperatively connected to the grappling arms 3 and 4. A pair of linkmembers 17 and 16 which are pivoted at their upper terminals to theupper terminal of the collar 15 by a bolt 18 and are pivotally attachedat their lower terminals to the arms portion thereof. The spindle 5isconnected to the pulley 20 of a hoisting crane'by a clevis 21, inwhich the upper terminal of the spindle is swiveled.

As a means forautomatically locking the grappling arms in open positionwhen the rload has been deposited, there has been pro-- sultant spreadof the hook members 8 of the l grappling arms? and 4. The locking key 22is connected by a pivot link 23 to a hand le-' .ver 24, the upperterminal of which is offset and is pivoted on 'a bolt 25' in a slot 26formed at, the upper end of the collar 15;

In practice, the collars 11 and 15 are splined on the spindle 5 for theobvious purpose of bringing the locking key 22 into registry with thenotch 23' when the arms are open as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The actual constructlon and arrangement of the several parts being thusdisclosed, it now remains to describe the operation of the.

device. Briefly the operation is as follows: The arms being in openposition as illustrated in Fig. 1, the hoist cable is lowered to disposethe arms around the material to be hoisted. The. operator thenmanipulates the hand lever-24 to withdraw the latch key 22' from lookingengagement with the notch asgana the hoist cable is tightened. It will"cable, -the spindle 5 moves upwardly drawffi'ng the hook members 8 ofthe grappling arm's toward each other by reason of the upward pullcommunicated to the extensions 9 through the collar 11. When the cablehas been thus tightened, the; collars 15' and 11 abut, and the terminalsof the members 8 are spaced from each other but a slight distance, sothat the lumber or other material to be conveyed is firmly inclosedwithin the pairs of arms and'issupportedrby the hook terminals.

- and the When the crane has been swung to deposit the lumber or othermaterial in. the: desired place,the cable is'again slackened tot-permitthe spindle 5 to slide downwardly. When the cableisslackened, thespindle 5 willbe urgeddownwardly the inner terminal 0 the locking key 2,2',-li't fore, when the hoist cable is again ti htened indle 5 is drawnupwar y, the hook terminals 8 of the grappling armswiill sufiicient toopen the grapplingarggis drawings.

'bbe'obvious that upon tightening the hoist members 9 to the outer endsthereof, thus changing the fulcrum. It will-be readily seen that upon--the tightening or upwardmovement of the cable the pull communicated tothe grappling arms through the arms 16 andj l7,at the outer. ends of themembers 9 of the grappling arms-will be I Suficiently to permit the loadto be di 11 gaged therefrom and to move the arms in open po-' sitionsuch as illustratedin Fig, 1 in the This action is aid d"b' the Weightof the collarll, I i

L J v In reduction to pract1ce',' we1-=have found that the form of ourinventiomillustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above.

description, asathe preferred embodiment,

is the most eflicient and practical; yet real- -izing that theconditions concurrent with the adoption of our device will necessarilyvary, We desire to einphasizethe fact that varlous minor changes indetails of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may beresorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages ofour invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

l. A grappling device including a spindle, a pair of collars splinedonsald spindle, grappling arms pivoted to. the lowermost of said collars,links pivotally connected at their terminals to the said grappling armsand to the uppermost of said collars, and

means for automatically locking the said arms in open position when thespindle is lowered. I r

2'. AI grappling device including a spindle,

a pair of collars spli'ned on said spindle, means for h'oldin saidcollars against displacement on sai spindle, pairs of grapplingarm'spivotally connected to the lower- 115 i most-of said collars,pivoted links connecting;. said arms to the u permost of said c01'f{l'alj, a locking key shdable in. said upper .by its own weight. Whenthe spindle 1s moveddown to a cient distance to hrin the notch 23'opposite collar niidigarranged for en a ement'with the notch formed insaid spln e when the said spindle is lowered throu h the said col- I v vlar, and a' hand lever pivote to said upper is obvious that the weightof the hand-lever 2 will force the .lock'ing'key into-en gs, -mefit withthe notch 23'. Apparently t ere-' collar" and oprablyconnected to saidlook-- '3.- grappling device including a spindle,

ja'gainst displacement in saidspindle, pairs be drawn into openposition, by reason"'of ;.;0 the pull commun cated to the bodyport1on"-" gr m s rm givotally connected to owermost of 'sai connectingthe uppermost of said collars tothe upper terminal of the bight portionof the said grappling arms, and a latch key carried by said upper collarand arranged to automatically seat in a notch formed in said s indlewhen said spindle is lowered throug said uppermost collar.

4. A grappling device comprising a spindle, a pair of collars 'slidableon the spindle grappling arms pivoted to the lowermost of said collars,'means for pivotally connecting the gra pling arms with the uppermost ofsaid co lars, and means for automatically locking the grappling arms inopen position when the spindle is lowered.

5. A grappling device comprising a spindle, a pair of collars slidablymounted on the spindle, grappling arms operatively connected withthecollars, means for connect ing the grappling arms with the collars,and means or automatically locking said arms in open position when thespindle is lovgerxd. 1i

ap n a spindle, a p 0 colfirs splined on sa spindle grappm arms pivotedto the'lowermost oi said col. ars, links ivotally connected at theirterminals to said appling arms and to the uppermost of sai collars, andmeans for automatically locking said arms in open position.

In testimony whereof we aifix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

LIONEL GILCHRIST. CALVIN VAN WINKLE. Witnesses: C. OMER GREGORY, MissOMER GREGORY.

device including

